Fastener



(No Model.)

A. L. GOLTON.

FASTENER.

No. 398,819. Patented Mar. 5, 1889.

WHA/58858:

N. PUERS. PhmuLnhngmpm. wasn-umu. D. c.

lln'rrnn tirarse Arent Orifice,

Al'llllli l1. OLTON, OF CLEYICLAD, OlllO.

FASTENER.

SPEUFICATGN forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,819, dated March 5, '1889.

Application tiled .Tune Z8, 1888. Serial No. 278,491. (No inodela To @ZZ whom tint/y concern:

15e it known that l, AHTHU n I). COUPON, ot' Cleveland, in the county of (uyaln'iga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and uset'ul Improvements in Fasteners; and Ido hereby declare the following io be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improved fasteners for detachably securing elastic bands to, for instance, lilo-cases, inemorandum-books, filewrappers, and various other articles to which rubbers are applied for holding` such articles closed.

My improved fastener consists in the main of a tongue, preferably flexible or elastic, said tongue being secured at the one end thereof to the cover, flap, or back, as the case may be, of the article, such tongue extending across a suitable hole made in such cover, iiap, or back, with the free end of the tongueresting against the inner face of the article, book, file-wrapper, or whatever it may be. The rubber band is slipped onto the free end of the tongue, and the band is then passed through the hole, leaving the band in the main on the outside of the article; but as the hand re mains astridc the tongue it is securely, but

detachably, fastened to the article, to the end X that the band is easily detached whenever it becomes broken or relaxed and a new band can be attached in its place.

ln the accompanying drawings, Figures l and 2 are views in perspective showing my improved fasteners attached, respectively, to a memorandum-book and to aiile-casc. Fig. 3 is a plan showing the fastener attached to a Wrapper. Figs. l, 5, G, and 7 are enlarged details hereinafter described.

A represents a tongue, usually of thin sheet metal, this tongue being' fastened at the one end thereof to the cover, iiap, or back of the article, as the case may be, such tongue extending across a hole, ll, previously made in such cover, lflap, or back of the article, with the 'free end of the tongue on, the inside. The rubber band C is slipped onto the free end of the tongue from the inside ot the article, and the band is then thrust outward through hole B, thus bringing the rubber band in the main on the outside of the article, but of course leaving the band astride the tongue.

By reversing the method the band is readily detached from the article. Sometimes one or more slight rubber bands, c, (see Fig. 1,) are placed on the tongue b v the sideof the heavier band,(1. Such small bands are convenient for holding a portion of the leaves, for in stance, of a memoranduni-book, so that the latter will open at a given page, as required. If the material. ot' the article to which the tongue is attached is of sufficient consistency, the tongue maybe riveted or soldered on, according to the material to which it attached. For covers ot' light material-such, for instance, as paper, light leather, or cardboard, &c.-a re-ent'orcing band, A, is fastened on the article around hole ll, and the tongue A is preferably integral with such re-enforcing band.

ln Fig. 7 is shown a fastening device of this kind as it comes from the dies, the device being stamped from very thin sheet metal, preferably brass. The points d are turned down at right angles to the body of the fastener, and these points are pressed through the cover, preferably from the outside, and clinched on the inside, the hole B having been previously made; also, in assembling the parts the free end of the tongue is pressed inward and the material, d, of the cover or flap is passed between the tongue A and re-enforcing band A',

as shown more clearly in Figs. l and 5, and the material, d, prevents the free end ofthe tongue from drawing outward by the draft of the rubber band.

The file-case shown in Fig. 2 is supposed to have a metal back, D, and in Fig. G is shown a preferable manner of arranging the tongue A, the latter being soldered onto the inside of member D, the tongue in this instance being offset outward at the middle portion thereof, so that the rubber band will not draw across the edges of the metal pla-te D.

My improved fastener is quite inexpensive, the initial cost thereof in quantities being only a small fraction of a cent each.

Rubber bands are considered much more convenien t than tape for holding together filecascs, wrappers, memorandum-books, and Various other articles. Hcretofore the t-rouble has been in the use of rubber bands for such purpose that the bands were usually perma- IOO nently secured to thc article, and when the band became broken or relaxed there Was no convenient means provided for attaching a new band, and in Case the band was not fastened to the article the band was usually lost. It will be seen that my improved fastenerentirely overcomes this difficulty, and will be found Very convenient for the purposes for which it is intended.

\Vhat I claiin isl. A fastening for deiachably securing' an elastic band to book, file-case, Wrapper, or other article, such fastening consisting substantially of an elastic tongue fastened to and extending across a hole in the cover, flap, or casing of such article, the free end of the to'ngue overlapping the inside of such cover, Hap, or casing, or an attachment thereof, to prevent the tongue from bending outward through such holes, substantiallyas set forth.

2. In a fastening for an elastic band, the conibination, with a suitable hole in the Cover, flap, or casing, for instance, of a book, wrapper, or other article, and a tongue fastened to and extending across a hole in and the free end of the tongue overlapping on the inside of such cover, flap, or casing, of a re-enforcing band secured around such hole, such tongue and re-enforcing band being preferably integral, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification, in the presence of two Witnesses, this 19th day of March, 1888.

ARTHUR L. COLTON.

Witnesses:

CHAs. H. DoRER, S. G. NOTTINGHAM. 

